Sales of PCs and tablets will become a huge hit worldwide as the worsening economic situation and rising inflation affect another large market.
Latest report (opens in a new tab) IDC is setting an ominous picture of the coming years for both PC makers and tablet fans alike, with sales expected to drop dramatically following a spike during the pandemic.
Analytics firm predicts shipments of “traditional” PCs (desktops, notebooks and workstations) will decline by 12.8% in 2022, and tablet shipments will fall by 6.8% as consumers and businesses around the world tighten their belts .
PC sales drop
The consumer market will see a 9.9% drop in supply as the demand for newer devices will run out due to the worsening economic environment. Business sales are expected to decline by 1.6% year on year, and supplies to small and medium-sized businesses will decline by 10.5% compared to 2021.
Overall, IDC estimates total PC and tablet sales at 462.1 million in 2022, down 10.8% compared to the previous year.
The company notes that it expects shipments to continue to decline in 2023 as the combined PC and tablet market declines by 2.6% due to slowing demand in the consumer and education sectors, and business targets still need to be monitored budgets.
However, the forecast is not entirely bleak as sales are set to return to growth in 2024. By 2026, IDC predicts sales in the global PC market will exceed the 2022 shipments figure.
“While demand is declining, shipping forecasts remain above pre-pandemic levels,” said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers.
“Long-term demand will be driven by a slow economic recovery coupled with a refresh for enterprise hardware as support for Windows 10 ends. Educational deployment and hybrid work are expected to drive additional volumes. ”